


a dog in church

by hitoshi (dami_an)



Category: Winner (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Decapitation, Drama & Romance, Drug Abuse, Dubious Morality, Gray area, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Murder, Mutilation, Polyamory, Prostitution, Shameless Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-01-25 11:14:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21355345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dami_an/pseuds/hitoshi
Summary: His boys are mentally unsound. Byproducts of the war. Trained and engineered to be weapons. Riddled with drugs and trauma.Knuckles caked in blood. Bodies littered with scars. Merciless gazes as they take another life.Jinu still finds beauty in their faults, though.
Relationships: Kang Seungyoon/Kim Jinwoo, Kang Seungyoon/Lee Seunghoon, Kang Seungyoon/Song Minho | Mino, Kim Jinwoo/Lee Seunghoon, Kim Jinwoo/Song Minho | Mino, Lee Seunghoon/Song Minho | Mino
Comments: 7
Kudos: 40





	1. Kim Jinwoo || An Angel

**Author's Note:**

> **[Trigger Warnings]:** This story contains graphic details of various mature elements such as violence, murder, decapitation, mutilation, prostitution and questionable moral values. Please take note that the author does not condone nor support any of these elements. Wrong means wrong. No means no regardless of how twisted the reason is. The author would like to advise that the readers should take this story with a grain of salt.
> 
> Please read with caution. You may leave if it isn't your cup of tea.
> 
> **[Disclaimer]:** This story is entirely fictional and based on imagination only. Any similarities with actual individuals, alive or dead, settings and events are purely coincidental. The author also gains nothing but satisfaction from this story.
> 
> (and it doesn't reflect the author's state of mind, either)
> 
> beta-ed by [Brawness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brawness). i owed her my pathetic life for enduring my silly mistakes and lacking of experience in writing smut. any mistakes you find here belong to me only.
> 
> [@_hit0shi](https://twitter.com/_hit0shi) on twitter

Blood.

Red. Viscous. Metallic smell. Essential to life. Circulates through the body. Delivers substances like oxygen and nutrients to the body's cells. 

Kim Jinwoo is no doctor, a mere carpenter in this awful place, under Eun Jiwon's wing, but he knows enough about the importance of blood. Has seen enough how blood drains the life away from a body.

Was covered in blood enough every time his three boyfriends brought back the leftovers of their job to his place to understand its significance.

A loud crash has Jinu snapping his gaze to the door. In the doorway is a man leaning against the frame, with a shadow over his face. The hints of the bulletproof vest, military boots, spiked brass knuckles on the fingers, glinting military dog tag, and—

Blood.

An alarm blares in Jinu's ears. Loud because he knows the man. Because he recognizes that outfit—his man. Seunghoon. His Seunghoon.

"Seunghoon?!" Jinu ditches the wooden block and sprints to the door, worried.

On cue, Seunghoon collapses in a heap into Jinu's arms. His weight startles a gasp out of Jinu's mouth, heavy, and Jinu carefully lays Seunghoon down on the dusty floor, head pillowed on his lap.

The brass knuckles slip to the floor, with a loud 'clang'.

"Hey, hey, you okay? Talk to me," Jinu asks. 

"...Love."

The shoulder is slicked with blood. Jinu can't find the wound, though. "You're injured—Jiwon-hyung, help! Seunghoon—he's hurting—"

"...am sorry." Seunghoon rasps out brokenly, eyes fluttering closed.

"Hey, hey, you'll be okay. You'll be okay—Jiwon-hyung!!!"

"Don't be so dramatic, hyung," a voice interjects. A man in a suit, with a cylindrical container on his hand, walks through the door.

Seungyoon—Kang Seungyoon; the youngest boyfriend of the trio. Yet the most level-headed person among the three. He places the container on the table, next to Jinu's current project.

A container filled with eyeballs floating in clear liquid. With a tinge of red. Look fresh. Like they had been ripped off the skull—oh, wow. Mental images.

"What do you mean, he's injured—"

"It's just a cut on his shoulder—oh~ food." Seungyoon steals a kebab left on the table. Jinu thinks it's Jiwon-hyung's, or it was because Seungyoon has greedily stuffed his face with it.

"Wait, what." Jinu gives Seunghoon a look. Seunghoon remains still. "Seunghoon."

Busted, Seunghoon rolls away from Jinu, with a hiss of 'you snitch,' and throws a knife in Seungyoon's direction. Effortlessly, swiftly, Seungyoon catches it between his index and middle fingers, skills honed over the years in the military, without sparing a glance, attention still on the kebab.

And subsequently fails to dodge a flying wooden block; it hits him square on the back of his head. Seungyoon drops the kebab, in pain. "Ow..."

"Snitches get stitches~!" Seunghoon cheers, pointing gun fingers at him.

"That was my kebab, you rat." Jiwon-hyung emerges from the bathroom, anger ablaze in his eyes. "And no eyeballs on MY table!"

Seungyoon lets out a squeak and hides under the table, together with the container.

A sigh escapes Jinu. It's too early for their antics; the sun hasn't fully risen yet. But his boyfriends are too adorable for their own good despite covered in dust and blood, presumably belonged to their target, so Jinu is willing to entertain them.

"Let me see the wound," Jinu says.

Seunghoon happily hops to a stool by the table, ripping his vest off for easy access to the cut. True to Seungyoon's words, it's a small cut, not too deep, not too long either. So the excessive blood indeed belonged to their target.

"It hurts so badly," Seunghoon whines. 

"Yeah?" Jinu chuckles, hands moving as he dabs the iodine solution on the wound. With practised ease. Like he's been doing it every day.

(Yes, he does since his boys are prone to accidents and injuries. Occupational hazards, Seungyoon once claimed.)

Jiwon-hyung whacks around Seunghoon's head with a first-aid kit. "You were engineered to be sturdy. That shit is nothing on you."

"Ow." Seunghoon rubs his sore head. "Jiwon-hyung made it worse. Please kiss the pain away? Pretty please."

"No. Not on my watch." Jiwon-hyung glares, hands crossed over his chest.

Right, no PDA in the workshop. Plus, Seunghoon is greedy; give him an inch, and he'll take a mile. Nonetheless, Jinu presses a kiss on Seunghoon's crown. Sweet and chaste. "At home later, okay?"

Seunghoon preens. Jiwon-hyung grimaces. Seungyoon pokes his head out of hiding, pouting. "Me?"

Those lips, really, adorable. Jinu sweeps down, pulls Seungyoon by the dog tag for a long kiss, biting Seungyoon's bottom lip while he's at it, just because he can. Because Seungyoon's lips are addictive. A moan tears from Seungyoon's throat, and a dazed expression settles in Seungyoon's face when Jinu pulls away.

Entranced. Mesmerized. 

As though he got snatched from a sweet dream.

"Cute." Jinu chuckles. A warm blush rises to Seungyoon's cheeks as he retreats to his hiding. 

Jinu pushes himself to his feet, looking around. Finds no sign of red hair anywhere. He blinks. "Where's Mino?"

"Rooftop," Seunghoon answers distractedly, finding interest in the blueprint of a new desk on the table. Always finds new things interesting, but it never sticks. Except cooking. Jiwon-hyung entertains his short lived curiosity, regardless.

"I should—"

A tug on his pants halts Jinu. He looks down, only to clash with a pitiful gaze from Seungyoon who pokes his head out . Again. "...Hyung."

Like a baby. Really. It brings a smile to Jinu's face. He puts a palm on Seungyoon's cheek. "I need to check up on Mino for real quick, okay? Go to Seunghoon. Take care of him for me, okay?"

"Yoon, come here. Learn about tables from Jiwon-hyung. You can build us one. For free." Seunghoon gestures him to come over. 

Seungyoon emerges, frowning. His eyes skim through the blueprint, though. Interested. "No, no, hyung. Nothing is free in this world. No money, no talk."

"Boyfriend discount—"

"No boyfriend discount."

Jinu sneaks out while Seungyoon gets distracted by Seunghoon and Jiwon-hyung. He quickly climbs up the stairs, armed with the first-aid kit in case Mino is injured, considering Mino tends to lick his wound alone.

It's windy on the rooftop. Jinu squints, some hair strands getting in his eyes. A place for storage. Filled with broken tables, old wood, and unclaimed products as some customers vanish into nothing.

Beyond the pile of tables sits a man, a leg folded while the other is dangling over the edge. With a sword tucked on the hips. A fitting suit, which Jinu has no doubt there's no shirt underneath it. Polished shoes. A choker and military dog tag on the neck; constant accessories. A cigarette on the lips.

"Mino."

The man glances over his shoulder. A grin around the cigarette lights up his face. Song Minho nods, in lieu of greeting.

Jinu walks over to him. "Got any injuries?"

Mino shows two gun fingers and turns it upside down on the wrists. Which means 'no' in sign language.

"Really?"

A sign of four fingers on the chin. 'Yes.'

"I saw those eyeballs. A request from the client?" Jinu tries making conversation. He's still learning sign language, on the beginner stage, but Mino is considerate enough to keep his replies simple for him.

'Yes. More money.'

"No wonder Seungyoon didn't hesitate to take the job."

'Greedy *--*'

Jinu doesn't catch the last one. Pretty sure it's a bad word. Mino is adamant that he won't teach him any bad word even though Jinu figured out Mino curses on a daily basis. He puts the first-aid kit down then stares at the view in front of him. 

Granted, Zone 04 offers no spectacular view. Five years of war brought destruction and ruin in its wake. The recovery is an excruciating process, slowed down by poverty and crime. The government ditched them after the war. Gangs arise like mushrooms after rain. People are struggling to get back to their feet.

Zone 04 offers no real comfort, but a home nonetheless.

A grip on his wrist yanks Jinu back to reality. Jinu blinks. "Mino—"

Before Jinu knows it, his feet are no longer touching the floor. High up in the air, in Mino's arms. In a free fall. He can see the street below him. Jinu's heart thumps in his chest.

"Wha—"

Mino secures his grip on Jinu around the waist, lands on a balcony, ducking down before he pitches them up high in the blue sky. Once again.

Oh. Okay.

Another hop on the window sill. Longer airborne time. 

The wind slices through his hair. Adrenaline rushes through his veins. Jinu holds onto Mino tighter and—

And catches their reflection in the window at the corner of his eye. Oh, wow.

Like flying. Like birds. Like they're dancing in the air. Like—

Amazing. 

His breath catches, fascinated. Even the warmth in Mino's eyes takes his breath away.

Mino leaps from a utility pole to keep them in the air. High and long. Jinu dares release his hold around Mino's neck, only clinging to his hands because he knows he can trust Mino not to drop him. He knows he can trust Mino to—

Jinu laughs whole-heartedly.

...

His boys are mentally unsound. Byproducts of the war. Trained and engineered to be weapons. Riddled with drugs and trauma.

Knuckles caked in blood. Bodies littered with scars. Merciless gazes as they take another life.

Jinu still finds beauty in their faults, though.

...

One quiet night finds Jinu waking up from sleep. The moonlight spills in through the window, in the form of a squarish shape. Seunghoon has taken up most of the blanket. No surprise there. No sign of Seungyoon and Mino anywhere.

Seungyoon is probably whoring himself out at the brothel for money. Mino, though—another insomniac night, Jinu hazards a guess.

After a kiss on Seunghoon's forehead, Jinu heads for the painting room. Mino's comfort zone whenever his demons rear their ugly heads.

The room is poorly illuminated with red LEDs on the wall. Jinu can't understand their purpose, but then again, he's no art person, so Jinu has no place to criticize Mino's taste. 

Canvases, sculptures, junks; things of no great importance to Jinu and yet serve meaningful purposes to Mino, fill the room. Jinu has to watch his step making his way to Mino huddled in the corner.

"Hey, you okay?" Jinu asks softly, with a gentle tap on the shoulder as not to startle Mino.

The first rule in the house; no startling anyone. Jinu learned that from bad experiences. He almost had had his head cut off. Or stabbed. Or shot.

Mino looks up from his sketchbook on the lap. 'Okay.'

"Can't sleep?"

'Yes.'

"Insomnia?"

'Yes.'

"Ah, I see." Jinu joins Mino sitting on the floor. "What are you drawing?"

Mino shows him his drawing. It's far from finished, but Jinu can see it taking up the shape of a sunflower. Sketchy in places. The lines are trailing away as if absorbed by the paper.

But the yellow petals and brown seeds, painted with crayons—wow, even bathed in red light, Jinu can see the colors. Vivid. Stark. Bright. Breathe life into the sketch. Mino's talent never ceases to amaze him.

The tattooed hands that kill can create colors of life on a piece of paper. Jinu loves them. Adores them, even.

"What's the sign for sunflower?"

Mino answers it with a twist of his wrist, followed by a little tap under his eyes.

"Like this?" Jinu copies. He doesn't get it right at the first try, so Mino corrects him. "Ho—how? Twist then—uh, I'm lost."

The second attempt, third and he only gets it right on the fourth attempt. Whoa, Mino is a patient teacher. Jinu returns the gesture with a kiss on the lips. Long and searing.

Just because Mino earned it.

"Thank you, pup." Jinu's eyes twinkle when he pulls away. A blush dusts across Mino's cheeks in return. Jinu asks, "Do you mind if I stay here and watch you draw?"

'No.'

"Cool."

It ends up with Jinu sleeping the night away by Mino's side, head pillowed on Mino's thigh. His back hurts from sleeping on the floor, but it's worth it, Jinu thinks. It's worth it because he gets to see Mino's drawing first thing next morning.

A sunflower glows in the morning sunlight. Jinu smiles. Magnificent, indeed.

...

Seunghoon returns home covered in dirt and blood.

Jinu has expected this since Seunghoon is essentially the tank of the trio. The initiator. Always the brunt of the job. It's considered a miracle if he emerges without a scratch.

No hot bath for Seunghoon despite the raining season. Jinu finds out that Seunghoon hates it; something that he never talks about.

They never talk about anything. No talking about pasts. About Seunghoon's night terrors. About Seungyoon's hallucinations. About Mino's damaged vocal cord. 

Jinu doesn't mind. He doesn't love them to rebuild them back into proper humans. He loves them as who they are.

Still, Jinu cares for Seunghoon. So he joins Seunghoon in the bathroom.

The bathroom is too small to accommodate two adults. So they end up plastering on each other. Jinu can feel Seunghoon's hard-on on his thigh. Possibly still high on adrenaline.

He kisses Seunghoon firmly on the lips, hand gripping Seunghoon's cock. A moan rips from Seunghoon's throat, and his hips buck in response.

Impatience, Jinu growls, "Turn around."

Jinu finds a bottle of lube and a condom between the toiletries while Seunghoon braces himself on the tile wall. He makes a quick job of loosening Seunghoon's ass. Seems like Seunghoon is on board with the idea if his high-pitched moans are any indications.

Not for long, Jinu slips inside Seunghoon after slipping the condom on. A long moan resonates in the bathroom as Jinu bottoms up.

"Move," Seunghoon says.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Need it." 

Complete with a pitiful glance over his broad shoulder. Jinu can see redness rimming around Seunghoon's eyes. Right, the adrenaline rush lasts longer in Seunghoon—as the result of the fucked up experiment. That explains his need for pain.

"If you say so," and Jinu fucks him fast and hard.

Every thrust forces an 'uh' or 'ah' out of Seunghoon. It resounds loudly in the small space. Jinu watches Seunghoon's fingers claw on the wall. Sees the way water swirls down Seunghoon's spine, one vertebra at a time. Hot. Perfect. Seunghoon feels so tight around his cock.

An image of him fucking Seunghoon in the rain flashes across his mind. Jinu grips Seunghoon's waist, tight until they leave fingerprints. His prints. His Seunghoon.

Seunghoon comes first, with a loud cry after he stroked himself to completion. Jinu is sure his moan could be heard across the room. And wonders if Mino wants to join them as well.

With a sigh, Jinu pulls out and throws the condom away. It lands somewhere he can't see. Doesn't care either. His cock is still hard. Angry red. Close to coming. He considers jerking himself off to Seunghoon's puckering hole when Seunghoon kneels down in front of him.

And wraps his lips around Jinu's cock.

Oh, wow.

His mouth is tight around Jinu. Warm. A welcome contrast to the cold water blasting on them. Jinu moans, pleased, and watches Seunghoon's jaw work around his hard cock.

Seunghoon takes his sweet time to bring Jinu to the edge again. Slow suctions, deliberate strokes, slobbering licks as he maintains eye contact. His hands hold Jinu's hips in place. Firm. Strong.

"Close," Jinu breathes, throwing his head back. The fire of arousal licks up his insides, hot. Encompassing. 

There's a twinkle of mischief in Seunghoon's eyes. Jinu gets the message just fine. After a deep breath, Seunghoon lets Jinu take a fistful of his hair and fuck his throat.

Jinu does just that. Fucking his throat until he spills inside Seunghoon's mouth. Seunghoon takes everything that Jinu dishes out. Like an obedient soldier.

"Thanks," Jinu says once Seunghoon releases him.

"Nope. Thank you." Seunghoon kisses him. Jinu grins against his swollen lips.

....

That night, Seunghoon brings a lobster home he's gotten from the restaurant he's working part-time at.

Suffice to say, they have a feast that night. And of course, Seungyoon screams the loudest when he sees food. 

...

"Thank you for your hard work, hyung," Jinu bows in the doorway. Jiwon-hyung raises his beer from the working table while he goes through the blueprint.

The night is still young when Jinu leaves the workshop. The lingering light was obliterated by the rapidly falling night. Darkness engulfs the city, dotted with bright stars.

A warm breath puffs out of his mouth.

His old apartment looms over Jinu when he enters the dirty neighborhood. He sees a rat slink behind a trash bin. Next to it is a boy huddle on a card box. His dog tag glints in the dark. Jinu shares with him some leftovers of bread he brought earlier.

"...Thank you," the kid rasps out. Brokenly. Hopeful. 

There's dirt beneath his fingernails when Jinu hands over the bread. On his face. His worn-out clothes. Jinu is torn between bringing the kid home to bathe him or leaving him here.

Ah, right. His mentally unsound boys. Best not let the kid meet them.

"Eat well. Please find a better place to sleep," Jinu says. Then leaves.

It is, indeed, a wise decision not to bring the kid home because his boys are having a fuck fest in the bedroom. It was a great idea to purchase a king-sized bed, after all. The bed creaks beneath their combined weights as they ravage Seungyoon, Seunghoon from behind while Mino takes his mouth.

"A sight to behold, really," Jinu says. He dumps his bag in the corner and joins them. He runs his fingers down Mino's spine to the small of his back. Featherly. Sensually. Jinu hooks his chin on Mino's shoulder, the one has the 'Be Nice' tattoo on. "His mouth feels incredible, don’t it."

A grunt slips past Mino's lips.

"Slow down, pup, slow down." Jinu holds Mino's waist in place. Mino is keen. Jinu places wet kisses on his shoulder. "Seunghoon, not too fast."

"...Hyung," Seunghoon whimpers.

"Long and slow thrusts. The both of you," Jinu orders, with a firm gaze. 

Despite themselves, they follow Jinu's command obediently—long and slow fuck. Between them, Seungyoon whines at the abrupt change of pace. He clenches at the sheet tighter, desperate for more.

Fascinated, Jinu watches as Seungyoon takes more of their cocks. It's mesmerizing to see how his wet hole accommodates Seunghoon's dick. Jinu trails his finger between Mino's asscheeks. "Now, mind telling me what are we celebrating?"

"Aph—fuck, ah—aphrodisiac," Seunghoon grunts, thrusting deeper. His tight grip on Seungyoon's waist hints at his desperation to fuck Seungyoon silly. "He took—fuck, fuck—for his clients and—shit—this happened."

That explains why Seungyoon barely registered his presence. Jinu teases a finger around Mino's hole. Mino bites his bottom lip, filled with anticipation while he enjoys Seungyoon's suction on his cock.

"How long?" Jinu asks, leaving bite marks around Mino's neck.

"Don't know."

"How many rounds?"

"Not sure. I fucked. Mino fucked too. Lost count."

"How many times has Seungyoon come?"

"Twice? I think so—fuck, fuck, hyung, please let me fuck Yoon properly," Seunghoon begs. Prettily, Jinu thinks.

Jinu finds a bottle of lube on the bed. And sneaks a hand to Seungyoon's front while he's at it. Seungyoon sucks in a breath at the sudden grope on his cock. Jinu isn't surprised to feel Seungyoon's cock limp in his hold.

"Roll him to his back," Jinu tells them. "I want to see my pup."

At his command, they pull out and roll Seungyoon around. Because they're his obedient boys, they wait for Jinu's word even though the meal is ready to be devoured in front of them.

Jinu takes note of the absence of a condom on Seunghoon's cock. Geez, his boys are so careless.

Now on his back, Seungyoon looks so debauched. Well fucked. His skin is flushed from the neck above. Pinkish. Warm. Alive. A beautiful contrast to his blonde hair. Hard nipples. Swollen lips. Chest marked with bites. His huge cock remains limp between his legs. His eyes are glazing over, warm with pleasure.

"Beautiful." Jinu kisses Seungyoon on the lips. Tastes Mino on Seungyoon's tongue.

In his eyes, recognition cuts through the pleasure haze. "...hyung?"

Hoarse voice. Rough. Mino abused his throat well. Jinu rubs his thumb on Seungyoon's bobbing throat. "Yes, boy?"

"Hurts."

"Hurts?"

Seungyoon manages a weak nod. "...more."

"You're not even hard."

Shame dawns on Seungyoon's face. He turns away. "...am sorry."

Jinu kisses the shame away. Chaste. Sweet. "It's okay, boy. What do you need?"

"Cocks. Cum. More fucking."

Wow. It was a strong drug if it could reduce Seungyoon's impressive vocabulary to those pathetic words. One of these days, he's going to whoop Seungyoon's ass for going to that extent just to please his clients for money.

Later, though.

"Alright," Jinu agrees, "Seunghoon, spread his legs. Mino, straddle his chest. You can fuck his throat again."

It's amazing how they move with military precision. No time wasted. Seunghoon wraps Seungyoon's legs around his waist and slips inside, with a loud, satisfied moan. Mino feeds Seungyoon with his cock, careful with the teeth.

Perhaps they have been at it for quite some time, so it doesn't take them long to pick up the pace. Mino is gripping Seungyoon's hair, close to completion. Jinu slathers his fingers in lube then reaches Mino's behind while he pulls Mino down by the dog tag for a searing kiss.

He swirls his tongue around Mino's, sucking it like a candy. His fingers easily find Mino's hole and slip inside as though they belong there.

Yes, they kinda do.

A surprised moan tears from Mino's throat into Jinu's mouth, and Mino bucks his hips shoving his cock deeper before he comes down Seungyoon's throat. Jinu watches Seungyoon take Mino's cum at the corner of his eye, loving the way pleasure fogs over Seungyoon's vision.

Jinu pulls away from Mino to let him catch a breath. He yanks his fingers out of Mino's ass, starling a surprised noise from Mino. Exhausted, Mino collapses next to Seungyoon, his cock soft and sensitive.

Seunghoon isn't done yet, but Jinu knows he's close from the way he fucks Seungyoon's ass with abandon. Now Seungyoon's mouth isn't occupied, a chant of wanton moans streams out like a waterfall. Combined with the creaking bed and slapping skin, it's music to Jinu's ears.

"Close?" Jinu glues himself to Seunghoon's back.

"Uh-huh."

"Faster, then. Short." Jinu places his teeth over the 'W' tattoo on the nape of Seunghoon's neck. And bites. And holds his teeth there because he has the right to. Sneakily, Jinu teases a finger around the place where they join.

Feels Seungyoon's hole clench around Seunghoon's moving cock. That lights up a flame of arousal in Jinu's gut.

"Hyung—" Seunghoon whines.

Jinu sucks on his earlobe and says, "Come."

Seunghoon cries out his pleasure as his hips stutter, his balls drawn tight. After a few final thrusts, Seunghoon slumps over Seungyoon, panting for breaths. Jinu rewards him with a soft kiss on the lips for a well-done fuck.

He pulls his soft cock out and leans against the headboard, tired. It leaves a trail of come, and Jinu pushes it back into Seungyoon's sloppy, loose hole. Seungyoon whimpers, oversensitive.

"...hyung," Seungyoon begs. Mino has long drifted into sleep next to him. Exhaustion overpowers insomnia. Relief fills Jinu.

A twinkle of mischief swims in Jinu's eyes when he sees the dazed look on Seungyoon's face. He holds Seungyoon's legs apart. "You think we're done, boy?"

"Hyung—I can't—no—"

Jinu licks his tongue up Seungyoon's asscrack. A breath catches in Seungyoon's windpipe, and his hips push back against Jinu's tongue despite himself.

It's a long night for Seungyoon that day.

...

Regardless of the fucking, Seungyoon exudes innocence in his sleep. Tranquillity. Home.

Morning sunshine curls up on the pillow of glowing golden hair. Seungyoon's golden hair. Like a halo. Like gold. When Jinu threads his fingers through it, it feels silky smooth.

His pale skin makes the love bites around the neck stand out. Red. Purple. Blue. Amidst the faint scars. They remind Jinu of blossoming flowers in the early morning.

Warmth spills inside Jinu's chest. He can't help but kiss Seungyoon's adorable nose. And then another on Seungyoon's Cupid's bow because it feels just right.

Seunghoon breezes through the door, with a tray of breakfast and Seungyoon's phone. He joins them on the bed. "Got a text for the baby leader."

It's french toast and milk today. Jinu takes a whiff of the toast. Smells divine as usual. "A job?"

"Nope. From the Guild—uh-huh, he's been summoned." Seunghoon frowns reading the text. 

Mino struts in after a morning shower, with a towel around his neck, only clad in shorts, red hair dripping wet. The morning sunlight reflects on his dog tag. No choker to cover the long scar on his throat.

Still beautiful, nonetheless. Carries an untold story from Mino's past.

"The Guild?" Jinu blinks, the toast between his teeth.

"An association for the ByProducts. Like... a worker union, but specifically for people like us, engineered to be weapons for the war?" Seunghoon vaguely explains, "You'd be surprised how many got affected by that experiment. Even kids."

"Oh," Jinu says. Recalls the dirty kid he found last night. Drops his gaze on the milk. No reflection in the milk. Too thick. Too viscous. That's good. He doesn't have to see his own expression.

Must have slipped to his face because next he's peppered with kisses from Mino and Seunghoon. On his face. On his fingers. Even on his palm—a wet kiss from Mino.

"You don't have to feel bad about it. We're good," Seunghoon mutters against Jinu's jawline. And kisses his racing pulse.

'We are happy,' Mino signs. 'Seungyoon will agree.'

Jinu stares at them. At a sleeping Seungyoon, oblivious to the waking world. At their grins again. At their warm eyes. And agrees, "Yeah, we're all happy right now. That's all that matters."

"I don't think we should wake Seungyoon up for this." Seunghoon returns to the text. "We wrecked him pretty good last night. I doubt he can walk today."

The memory of their intense fucking flits across Jinu's mind. Hot but no, not now. "He earned his rest."

'I can go,' Mino offers.

"Will you be okay, though? Not many understand sign language," Seunghoon says.

'I will bring Pyo with me.'

"Ah, okay. Thanks so much, boyfriend." Seunghoon expresses his gratitude with a sweet kiss. 

Of course, it won't be innocent for long. Seunghoon, that greedy fuck, shoves a hand down Mino's shorts, and well, Jinu opts to enjoy the free show on the bed.

...

Yes, Seungyoon can't walk that day, so he stays in bed the rest of the day, whining to the world why aphrodisiac was invented even though it was no one's fault but his own.

(Psst. Money. Psst.)

And yes, Jinu takes a day off to stay with him, to baby Seungyoon, to whisper nonsense into Seungyoon's ear so Seungyoon won't listen to those vicious voices inside his head.

He talks about his favorite drama. About Jiwon-hyung's drinking habit. About the quirks learned from his customers.

He isn't sure if it works wonders. Sometimes Seungyoon gives simple responses like a short question or a noise indicating that he's indeed listening. There are times where Seungyoon gets quiet, too quiet as though he's so far in his world, out of Jinu's reach, trapped in the darkness of his past, of his fears—

Jinu talks about tables instead.

...

One afternoon, Jiwon-hyung gives him an address. "Front door. 4 panels with an arch. Go to his place and take the measurements."

"Duly noted." Bringing a notebook and a pencil tucked in his ear, Jinu begins his journey.

The day is sweltering hot. Sweat beads down Jinu's neck. Uncomfortable, really. He ties his hair into a man-bun. It feels better to have some room around the neck. Jinu slinks from one shadow to another like a kid to avoid the scorching sunlight.

Then.

An ambush in the alley. By four beautiful girls. In revealing clothes.

"Jinu-oppa~" Jisoo hugs his arm. She pokes her purple-painted finger on his cheek. Playfully. Teasingly. "Come play with us."

"We're bored. No one plays with us today." Lisa frowns. The smokey eyeshadow suits her well. Like a cunning cat.

"I can't. I'm working right now," Jinu politely declines, with a radiant smile. "A new hairdo, Rose? Looks pretty on you. Suits your beautiful face."

Rose hides her blush behind the curtain of her red hair. A smile graces her pink lips. "Thank you."

"Oppa, can you tell Seungyoon-oppa to slow down a little?" Jennie complains. "He's been stealing customers from us. Mummy isn't happy with it."

"Has he?" Jinu asks. Not really surprising, to be honest, considering how many nights Seungyoon has been disappearing, only to return home reeked with sex, with a pocketful of money.

"It doesn't make any sense, us losing to him. He has no ass," Jisoo whines, folding her arms under her bosom.

"His charms, probably," Jinu tries to appease the girls. "Don't worry, you all are beautiful and irresistible. People are dying to be with you."

"Are you sure you can't play with us today?" Rose purses her lips, batting her eyelashes prettily. Jinu wishes he could skip the meeting just to treat them to coffee. Cheap coffee, but coffee nonetheless.

Jinu smiles apologetically. "I'm sorry, girls." He really is.

"Not even for free? We miss you," Jennie tries.

"Next time, okay?" Jinu plants a kiss on her crown. Jennie sulks, but she doesn't push her luck.

It takes Jinu some time and promises to get free from their painted claws. Worried that he might have been running late to meet the client, Jinu manoeuvres himself through the complicated alleyways for a shortcut.

A bad decision. Really bad one.

A blur in the peripheral vision; a brief one but enough to make Jinu whip his head to the right, and a sharp thump on the nape of his neck, quick. Effective. And.

And darkness.

...

Jinu startles himself awake to darkness. Immobilized. A sudden sting on the nape of his neck has him wincing out his pain, and Jinu hears nearby footsteps.

"You awake," a voice says. "Good, it's been hours."

The voice rings loudly; he's in a closed room. Sounds close—the captor is near. Jinu doesn't reject the possibility of having more captors in this.

Jinu attempts to blink the darkness away but fails. Ah, a blindfold. Geez, kinky much? He tries to move his hands. They're restrained. From the sound of it, it probably a chain, tying him to a chair.

Ah, he's so tempted to say, 'Geez. At least, take me on a date first.'

He doesn't. Instead, Jinu asks, "Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here?" to at least find out a gist of his current location and who he's dealing with.

A firm grip on his jaw surprises him. The nails dig into his skin. Deep.

"Your dogs killed my sister. They even took her eyes out," another voice says, filled with wrath. Ah, this is an act of revenge, Jinu realizes. The voice continues, "Now I want to return the favor."

"By kidnapping and killing me?"

"No." The grip on his jaw makes him tilt his face up. "I will send your eyes to them instead. So they will know my pain."

Learning the intention behind this kidnapping, Jinu can't help sighing. He can't help it. Can't help it because it is so, "So trivial."

"Pardon?"

"So trivial," Jinu repeats, without any wavering in his voice. It isn't worth the pain. "If you want to pick a fight with my pups, at least, find a better excuse than that. Be a likeable villain. With concrete reasons."

The nails claw deeper, clueing in the accumulating wrath at the insult. "You—"

A loud gunshot, followed by cries.

"Wha—"

"Where—"

"Go and check—"

A few panicked voices. He has been right about having multiple captors, then. Ah, his boys will be having a blast. From their panicked voices, it seems that they didn't consider past the kidnapping. 

Amateurs.

A sudden explosion brings Jinu back to the current situation. Loud. Deafening. It's close. Jinu scrunches himself up to protect himself from the impact on instincts.

Silence settles in the room while confusion reigns. His ears are ringing. Dust filters through in his nostrils, and he coughs. Jinu can hear pounding footfalls among the collapsing debris.

The voice grits out, "Fucker—"

And a storm of chaos. Sounds of breaking bones, pained whimpers, singing blade, choked voices, even gunshots. The lack of sight makes the imagination wilder—maybe Seunghoon is driving his spiked brass knuckles into someone's skull. Maybe Mino is slicing a face into halves. Maybe Seungyoon is shooting someone through the eye. Maybe—

Maybe those are what they're actually doing. Jinu has no ways of telling. Not when the blindfold is in the way.

Those sounds stop. Except for one shaky voice which Jinu knows it doesn't belong to any of his boys. No, his boys won't make a pathetic sound like that.

Then. Brightness.

Flickers behind his eyelids as he feels the blindfold slip away. He risks cracking an eye open, winces at the sudden brightness and sees a blur of Seunghoon's smile.

"Safeword?" Seunghoon grins.

"Dorito?"

Seunghoon throws his head back, laughing. "How is that a safeword?"

Jinu looks around, only to register at least four dead bodies around them. The floor is pooled with blood and scattered flesh. Some heads have holes in them. Some are missing limbs. Mutilated hands, gashing wounds, so wide open that Jinu can see intestines spilling out. When he really looks at it, he realizes Seunghoon is perched on one of the dead bodies, his spiked brass knuckles dripping blood on his knees, so relax, so casual as though the split head doesn't bother him at all.

In front of him is a bald man kneeling on the floor. His body is trembling all over, having Seungyoon's pistol trained on him from behind.

"The code or your head," Seungyoon says, his voice sharp and cold. The light overhead casts a shadow over his face. Like Death.

The man rattles off the code in a shaky voice, fear for his life. Jinu feels someone unlock the chain around him and realizes it's Mino behind him. Mino carefully frees him from the restraint, mindful of the forming bruises around the arms, and helps him to his feet.

Ah, his sweet, sweet Mino.

Now he's free from the chain, a smile returns to Seungyoon's face. He lowers his gun and tells the man in a sweet voice, "Thank you."

The man looks hesitated, eyes darting around from one face to another. Seungyoon gestures at the door. His smile stays. The man wastes no time in bolting for the door, eager to flee—

Only to be shot point-blank at the back of his head. Quick. Loud. Efficient, without a glance spared. As though the man's life isn't worth the final glance.

Jinu stares. Stares at the dead bodies around them. Stares at the blood on his boys' clothes. At their weapons; Seunghoon's brass knuckles, Mino's katana and Seungyoon's pistol. Stares at the warmth in their eyes.

Ah, right.

His boys are mentally unsound. Byproducts of the war. Trained and engineered to be weapons. Riddled with drugs and trauma.

Knuckles caked in blood. Bodies littered with scars. Deadly skills. Merciless gazes.

Jinu still finds beauty in their faults, though.


	2. Kang Seungyoon || The Marksman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> proofread by my fav author, Brawness (i luwb youh). any mistake found here are solely mine ^^

Money isn't everything, yes, Kang Seungyoon is aware of that. But he's also aware that everything needs money. From food to shelter. Clothes. Armoury. Even lives.

As a hitman, Seungyoon never attempts to argue about morality. About how wrong it is to take lives for money. It's not his place to defend his point of view. All he knows he needs money to survive in this harsh place, with his makeshift family.

With no warning for the residents inside, Seungyoon swoops into the house. The mother instantly hugs her child in the corner, wide-eyed. Seungyoon locates the stairs. Tugging at the sniper bag strap, he races up the stairs. 

He has no time to spare listening to the curses from the mother.

Three rooms upstairs. Seungyoon kicks the door of the second room open. He finds the southwest window, not giving a shit about the teenager tucking his junk into his pants on the bed.

"Who—what."

Seungyoon silences him by throwing some bills, no glance spared. He crouches down at the window, getting his gears out of the bag, one part at a time.

Barrel, firing pin, bolt knob, scope, magazine—all of them are slotted into place. With ease practised. Doesn't even waver under the kid's horrified scrutiny. Used to getting feared.

"Get out or die, your pick," he says. No need to look to know the kid was scrambling out of the room, together with the hush money.

Left alone in the room, Seungyoon finishes assembling his sniper rifle. He places the sniper barrel on the window sill for support then peeks into the scope.

"Foxxy, you in?" Seunghoon's voice comes from his comm.

"I'm in. Lil Bear?" he asks back, Lil Bear being Mino.

"Waiting for orders."

Through the scope, he can see two gangs firing at each other across the street. Dead bodies on the ground. Bullet holes in the wall. Some find shelter. Seungyoon quickly analyses the situation. Well, shit. The one who gets cornered into an alleyway is his client.

"All clear?" 

"Negative. I'm still looking."

He has no time. He's gotta sweep the place clean before Seunghoon and Mino can barge in.

One of them suddenly drops dead. Seungyoon barely catches it with his scope. Then another. Headshots, both of them. Well-aimed bullets. From high angles.

Two snipers.

"Gimme a minute. Got eyes up here," Seungyoon mutters into his comm.

Seungyoon's eyes scan through the windows. Most of the buildings are two-storey, the development stunted by the war. He doesn't need many hints. Easy hints are sufficient. Perhaps billowing curtains, or ajar window or.

"Come on—"

Another headshot, on the side of the hide, body tilting slightly to the right from the bullet impact, and.

And Seungyoon finds one, three windows away across him. Movement smooth from the years of war experience as the sniper, it only takes him a few seconds to aim, snap the barrel and pull the trigger.

A headshot.

All in a single breath.

Unfortunately, his shot reveals his location to the second sniper, and Seungyoon barely dodges a bullet piercing through his window. He rolls away, slinking the next room.

Of course, the same principle applies to the second sniper as well. The revelation of the location. Haha, loser.

He rushes to the window, puts up his rifle, peeks into the scopes, catches a blurry movement then shoots—

Right at the chest of the sniper. Seungyoon fires again at the head for good measure. The dead sniper falls draping over the window, then down on the street.

"Coast clear. I repeat, the coast is clear. Go, go, go, go—" Seungyoon barks into the comm.

Cue for Seunghoon to bulldoze into the battlefield. Always an explosive entrance when it comes to Seunghoon. He barges into the scene with no warning whatsoever. Smashing some skulls with his golden brass knuckles that happen to be in his way.

Seungyoon doesn't even flinch at Seunghoon's maniacal laughter from the comm, used to his craziness on the battlefield. It's either indifference or insanity; there's no middle option when you have your hands coated in blood.

Via the scope, Seungyoon catches a person sneaking up on Seunghoon but makes no move to cover him. No help needed because Mino—

A sudden slice from above. The person drops to the ground, his face slashed into halves. Blood splatters across Seunghoon. He makes a face, "Yucky."

Slowly, Mino raises back to his feet, the blade of his sword dipped in blood.

"Thank you, boyfriend." Seungyoon hears Seunghoon say. And sees him pull Mino down for a chaste kiss. Cue in an eye-roll.

"Our job isn’t finished yet," he reminds them, just in time to shoot down two men aiming their pistols at his boyfriends. "Protect the boss. He's our client."

Despite the brief pause, Seunghoon and Mino are quick to get back into action. A punch on the gut, followed by a slam on the side of the head deep in the cheekbone. A slash across the chest then a quick thrust of the blade into the eye socket. Seungyoon stops any mid-range interruptions with his deadly bullets.

Every man in their way drops dead one by one until Seunghoon finds the client hiding in the corner with a gun ready on his hand, protected by two men and a woman in black suits.

Yang Seungwoo, the boss of Yamaek Gang. Owns one-third of the turfs in Zone 04.

"Found him," Seunghoon says.

Seungyoon presses at the earpiece. "Roger. Secure the client. Escort him to the rendezvous. I'm gonna sweep the place clean first before taking off."

"Stay safe."

"Alright. Over and out."

With that, they cut the connection. Seungyoon scans the place through the scope. His gaze roams across the high buildings. No sign of living life.

Great.

With that, Seungyoon packs his rifle, ready to meet the client.

The rendezvous was set in a warehouse, on 10th street, one mile away from the battlefield. Upon arriving, Seungyoon greets the occupants inside, "What a crazy day."

Instantly, the subordinates aim their pistols at him. Seungyoon raises his arms to appear harmless.

"Hey, baby leader," Seunghoon salutes lazily, sitting on one of the stacked boxes. His legs are swinging back and forth.

"At ease," Yang Seungwoo says. At his order, his subordinates put down their guns even though their gazes remain icy cold. He offers Seungyoon a handshake. "Kang Seungyoon, yes?"

"The one and only. Thank you for hiring us." Seungyoon accepts the handshake. He glances over Yang Seungwoo's profile; square jawlines, littered with grey stubbles. Hair dusted with the colour of ageing. And his gaze—damn.

Seungyoon wonders how his gaze would look like between the sheets. While fucking him into a pool of money. Fuck, a tingle of arousal runs down his spine.

"The Lee siblings recommended you. Claiming you lots are the best mercenaries out there."

Right. The Lee siblings, Lee Chanhyuk and Lee Suhyun. The infamous informant duos. Rare Normies who chose to tangle themselves in this dark web called the underground.

"We're flattered," Seungyoon smiles. Then he notices Mino tapping at his wristwatch at the back impatiently. Right. They have another important matter to attend to. "Do you need our assistance to return to your base? If possible, we'd like to complete this mission as soon as possible."

"No, I have my men coming to get me to safety. But I would like to talk to your swordsman before I leave. His skills—well, suffice to say I was immensely impressed by his skills." Yang Seungwoo turns to Mino with sparklingeyes. 

Ah, a common sight after witnessing Mino's set of skills. His swordsmanship can be considered as art. Seungyoon heaves a sigh.

Mino gives a salute; a sign language of his own to express 'thank-you.'

"Would you like to work for me? I can pay more than what you're earning now."

With a smirk, Mino flicks his fingers in an 8-shape before tapping the air one time, then the second time higher and crooks his finger—

And Seungyoon doesn't need to see the rest to know Mino is meant to say 'hate paedophiles.'

Gullible, Yang Seungwoo asks, "What did he say?"

Seunghoon grins. "Paedo—"

"He's busy," Seungyoon quickly interrupts because his client's sick fetish has nothing to do with their current transaction. Money first, judgement later. "Mino said he's too busy. He thanked you for the offer too."

"That's quite a lot of words for simple gestures," the boss blinks.

"He likes to keep his signs short." Seungyoon puts up a fake smile.

"That's a shame." Yang Seungwoo mourns, oblivious to the annoyed expressions sweeping across his subordinates' faces behind him. "How much do I owe you?"

"After the deposit..." Seungyoon pulls out his phone for calculation, thumb swiping across the screen. Then shows the client the total; "This. As we agreed over the phone."

"I suppose that's fair." Yang Seungwoo agrees, rubbing his moustache. He jerks his head at one of the subordinates, a non-verbal command to have the woman handing over the black suitcase she's carrying.

The pony-tail haired woman tosses the bag. Reflex as quick as lightning, Seunghoon catches it. He shows the password key to Yang Seungwoo, with a raised brow.

"1807."

"Thank you," and Seunghoon opens the bag. He presents the content inside the bag; notes of 50,000 won are stacked nicely. The sight alone brings a broad smile to Seungyoon's face.

"As we agreed over the phone. 10 million won," Yang Seungwoo exclaims.

Promises, promises. The bastard could be lying for all Seugyoon knows. Regardless, he has no time to validate the claim. Not when they have a celebration to attend later.

After all, it's not difficult to track the bastard back should he betray the agreement. Hunting bastards is their speciality. Is what they do for a living.

"Alright." Seungyoon slaps the suitcase closed and trades his rifle bag with it from Seunghoon. He extends a hand. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, sir."

Yang Seungwoo returns the handshake. "The pleasure is mine."

Mino is the first one to leave, smoking by the door while they did the transaction. Presumably, it's because he can't stand to breathe the same air with a paedophile. Seunghoon follows suit, humming his way out, relaxed but deadly.

After a short salute to the client, Seungyoon joins his boyfriends.

Once they near a corner in an alleyway, Seungyoon stops them. "I need to go to the border to meet the siblings. Is there anything I need to collect?"

"Nothing, really. Though, I need to swing by the restaurant to get some stuff. Mino?" Seunghoon asks.

'Golden Street. Bracelets.' Mino signs. 

"Ah, that place is quite far. You should go first," Seungyoon tells him.

Mino points at the briefcase then signs. 'You good going alone? Savages live there.'

With a smile, Seungyoon flaps one side of his jacket open, revealing a pistol tucked in the holster. Mino nods his approval. Nonetheless, he signs, 'Be careful.'

Touched by Mino's concerns, Seungyoon yanks Mino close by the dog tag for a long kiss. Long enough to slip his tongue in and suck at Mino's tongue. Yet not long enough for Mino to savour the kiss because Seungyoon has pushed him away, eyes twinkling.

Seunghoon whistles impressed.

The glare Mino sends at him is sharp and menacing. Glee bubbles in Seungyoon's chest. If Mino's vocal chord hadn't been damaged, he would've growled at Seungyoon like a dissatisfied tiger.

"Alright, we can continue this later," Seunghoon interrupts. "Seungyoon, shoo. Before Mino actually tears your pants off and fucks you here. You know I would happily join him, then."

The glint in Mino's eyes is a telltale sign enough. Blowing a kiss in Mino's direction, Seungyoon quickly skips away.

  
  


...

  
  


In direct contrast to the complicated maze of a city, the border is deserted. Filled with metal junks. Mountains of rusty steel. Abandoned vehicles, possibility attempts to erasing the crime evidence. A haven for metal scrappers. 

Seungyoon sees an old house from afar. A two-storey house. The lawn is filled with metal junks; old radios, rusty grills, even fridges.

A guy pokes his head out of the old van with flat tyres. Seungyoon jerks his chin in a gesture of 'what.' The guy hides again. With a garbled mutter, Seungyoon presses the old doorbell.

"What." A feminine voice chimes.

"Foxxy." Seungyoon loosens the tie. Hot.

"Oh~ come on in, oppa!" Followed by the opening of the garage door. 

The inside is an exact mirror of the outside—filled with metal junks, dusty, dark. The difference is that most of them are being used. Old TVs as security monitors. Radios to pick up any information. Old computers as the intelligence centre.

Perfect tools for informants.

A girl with bob hair swivels around in her chair. Kicks it rolling away from the desk to greet him. "Seungyoon-oppa~ where is it? Where, where?"

With an amused sigh, Seungyoon places the briefcase on the nearest table. Takes one roll of money out of the case. And pitches it to her. "Hello to you too, Suhyun. Where's your brother?"

"Basement." Suhyun counts the money, with greedy fingers. Then she presses one of the mics. "Oppa, Seungyoon-oppa is looking for you."

Seungyoon grabs a creaky chair. Tests the stability. Finds it quite acceptable before he sits on it. Sees a mecha figure on the table. He snatches it away, squinting at it.

A cyborg girl figure, equipped with a machine gun. Seungyoon whistles impressed.

"Hey." 

A guy emerges from a dark door. Probably from the basement. Small eyes, fair skin, short-cropped hair. His front is covered by a bloody plastic apron. In his hand is a pair of scissors, dripping blood.

"Hyung," Seungyoon smiles, returning the figure to its rightful place.

Lee Chanhyuk cracks a toothy smile. The splattered blood on his face makes the grin creepy. Seungyoon doesn't flinch at that, though. Used to it.

"A job?" Seungyoon jerks his chin at the dark door.

"Ah," Chanhyuk follows his gesture, then turns back to him, "Yes. Busy day. Got anything for me?"

"Yang Seungwoo. He just hired my team."

"And?"

"What the fuck was he doing outside his turf? Got a meeting with another boss? Or got invited to a tea party? I want to know why, with whom, and when. Everything."

"Ah..." Chanhyuk nods. Understands his point. "For cautionary purposes, I assume?"

"Doesn't hurt to be cautious. Someone's enemy could be our friends too," Seungyoon smirks. Playful. Evil.

"You sneaky bastard. That's why we favour you of all ByProducts. No bullshit. Taking care of your own." The glint in Chanhyuk's small eyes are bright.

No secrets among the mercenaries that the Lee siblings hate ByProducts. Nonetheless, their service as informants never disappoints, so no one can't begrudge them.

Seungyoon doesn't care, really, so long as they don't fuck with his beloved family. Everyone's got reasons, after all.

"No problem," the informant agrees, "But as usual—"

A roll of money is pitched in Chanhyuk's direction before he gets to finish his sentence. Seungyoon keeps a straight look. "The upfront. Satisfied?"

"Very," Chanhyuk grins.

"2 weeks. Dig everything about this paedo."

"Sure. Suhyun-ah—"

Seungyoon leaves.

  
  


...

  
  


Seungyoon wakes to the dark bedroom, meshed between Jinu-hyung and Mino, throat as dry as sandpaper. Water, he needs water.

There's a bottle of water on the bedside table. Seungyoon knows this because Jinu-hyung makes it a habit to prepare a bottle for him whenever they have a fucking fest.

And last night—as intense as it was, Seungyoon felt butterflies in his tummy, knowing it was their first anniversary. The bracelet around his wrist, matching the others, gifted by Mino, glints in the dark.

Beautiful. Meaningful. And theirs.

Well, that feeling doesn't wash away the aching in his body, though. Seungyoon flips himself to the front, mindful of his sleeping boyfriends, and reaches over Mino for the bottle.

Unfortunately, being a light sleeper, Jinu snaps awake as soon as the bed dips beneath Seungyoon's movement. Jinu flicks the bed lamp on behind him.

"Seungyoon?"

"...sorry."

"Sh..." Jinu rubs the small of Seungyoon's back reassuringly. Sleepily. "What do you need?"

"Water."

"Yea, okay. Wait." With difficulty, movements slowed down by drowsiness, Jinu rounds the bed to get the bottle. Walks buck naked like he owns the room. Owns Seungyoon. He passes it to Seungyoon, then returns to his spot. "Can you open it?"

One of Seungyoon's weaknesses; opening something. It's ridiculous considering his job, but yea, it's the truth. After the unsuccessful attempt, Seungyoon shakes his head.

Jinu chuckles and kisses Seungyoon. "Don't pout like that. Makes me want to eat you again."

Seungyoon squirms away from the kiss, flustered. His fidgeting has Mino awoken in no time, senses honed by experience in the war. Mino lifts his head, with a brow arched despite the closed eyes.

"Seungyoon needs help to uncap the bottle," Jinu offers.

An understanding hum slips past Mino's lips. Then he blindly takes the bottle from Seungyoon's hold, opens it and returns it to Seungyoon. All is done while he still his eyes closed.

"Thank you," Seungyoon kisses Mino's mole on the nose. Mino scrunches his nose in response.

Jinu places chaste kisses on Seungyoon's bare shoulder. "Do you need anything else? Painkiller?" His hand wanders down to Seungyoon's ass.

Used to having his boyfriends groping him, Seungyoon drinks the water, without flinching when those dainty fingers sink into his skin. Feels two fingers skim across his used hole. A breath hitches in his throat.

"No—" Seungyoon tries to hold back his moan. Worried it might wake Mino once again.

"No?" Jinu slips two fingers inside. Feels it loose still, from the fucking they did hours prior.

"Painkiller, no," Seungyoon moans at last when Jinu crooks his fingers.

And Mino, that shit, Seungyoon curses under his breath, is quick back to his senses at the sound of Seungyoon's moans. He fishes lube out of the drawer and passes it to Jinu.

Jinu smirks against Seungyoon's lips. "Good boy."

Seungyoon doesn't have to see Mino know he's preening like a dog.

"Wanna take him, Mino?" Jinu asks between the kisses with Seungyoon, fingers sliding in and out of the lubed hole. The way he asks it as if Seungyoon has no say in this, like, no, his role is just to accept whatever they dish out.

And fuck, Seungyoon didn't know he needed that. To not make any decisions, just to listen and accept—a stark contrast to his responsibility as the leader. And fuck, fuck, Jinu knows him so well. 

Knows how to strip him of his responsibility and make him bare. Free from his identity as a leader of unstable ByProducts. Lets him be vulnerable.

"Hyung..." Seungyoon sobs as Mino arranges him, presses him against Mino's front. He needs Jinu as his anchor. Needs someone to hold on.

Not because Mino is rough. No, Mino would rather cut himself than harming him, and Seungyoon knows this.

No. It's because while Mino's touches are fuming hot, filled with raw desires, fingers calloused from handling the sword, Jinu's is like a balm.

Soothing. Grounding. And Seungyoon desperately needs that. Desperately holds onto Jinu's hands.

"I'm here," Jinu kisses him. "I'm here, baby."

When Mino slides easily inside of him, a moan tears from Seungyoon's throat and Jinu drinks it greedily. Jinu whispers comforting words against the corner of Seungyoon's lips and Seungyoon lets those whispers wash over him as he takes Mino's thrusts behind him.

"Gentler, Mino darling," Jinu reminds, lips buried in Seungyoon's hair.

Mino does just that, a hand on Seungyoon's gut possessively while the other is flicking at Seungyoon's right nipple. He sucks a spot near Seungyoon's earlobe till it leaves a red mark, then kisses it as an apology since Seungyoon's skin is easily bruised.

Eager to please Jinu, Seungyoon wanders his hand to Jinu's front. Feels the half-hard cock. And looks him in the eye. "...hyung?"

"Eager to help?" Jinu grins that suggestive smirk.

"Yes, please?" Because now, he's not Kang Seungyoon, the sniper. Not Kang Seungyoon, the feared mercenary. Just Kang Seungyoon who's madly in love with Kim Jinwoo.

"Of course, baby. Mino," Jinu says once.

Once is enough for Mino. He pulls out momentarily. Makes Seungyoon lie on his front, his head between Jinu's legs. Then spreads Seungyoon legs to slip inside of Seungyoon again, fucking him gently as per command.

Affectionately, Seungyoon rubs his cheek on Jinu's half-hard cock. Takes a whiff of him. Feels Jinu's careful fingers in his hair. Hooks his hands around Jinu's thighs and—

—and takes his cock into his mouth greedily.

"I thought I heard voices." 

"Hey," Jinu greets Seunghoon. "Care to join us?"

"Feel like watching." Seunghoon finds a seat on the bed, near the crook of Seungyoon's hips. He distracts Mino from his slow fucking with a lingering kiss.

The distraction works, and Seungyoon rolls his hips to take more of Mino's cock. He hears chuckles from Seunghoon and, "Sorry, sorry. I won't disturb Mino again."

"Come here, Seunghoon," Jinu jerks his head, almost breathless when Seungyoon sucks at one of his balls.

Seunghoon understands the wish right away. He slips behind, Jinu between his legs, and lets Jinu rest against his front like a king. He tucks his chin on Jinu's shoulder, hand reaching for Seungyoon's ear.

"You're doing so fucking great, baby leader. Taking cocks like a whore. Our precious whore," Seunghoon leers.

"I know, right? Just perfect, for us to love. To cherish." Jinu guides Seungyoon down, deeper to take more of his cock. While Mino kisses each column of his spine where he can reach.

Careful. And full of love.

And Seungyoon basks in that praise, eyes fluttering closed. In Jinu's fond gaze. In Mino's careful fucking. In their warmth and love. And lets them steer the rest.

  
  


...

  
  


He knows he can count on them.

  
  


...

  
  


Instincts.

His instincts are screaming at him. Demand him run. Flee while he still can. It's a trap—set up by that fucking bastard who he called Captain because, fuck him, all matters, in the end, is the fucking money.

So Seungyoon runs for his life. The enemies are closing on him. Seungyoon barges into the staircase, and ducks just in time before a bullet pierces through his brain.

Fucking, fuck. Seungyoon pulls the door closed, rolls into the nearest room because, fuck, fuck, fuck, there are enemies behind him, firing blindly in his direction. He kicks the door closed, hands protecting his head as bullets pierce through the door and wall.

Fucking hell.

It takes about three minutes for the enemies to run out of bullets. Seungyoon sits up, his back against the wall, and places a hand on his right side. Fucking bleed. Shitty luck, he thinks as he sees his bloody palm.

Seungyoon checks his ammunition. Two rounds left, each has 12 bullets. Shit. His brain projects a memory of his dead comrades, all bleeding and shot beyond recognition. Fallen in the trap.

Despair swells in his chest. Fucking, fuck, fuckity.

But fuck it, he's not going to die without trying. Seungyoon sniffles once. Rips his shirt, leaving him only the vest and undershirt. A compromised vest, but whatever.

The pounding footfalls are close. Seungyoon takes a few deep breaths through the mouth, the grip on his pistols tight. Spots the moving shadow under the door—

And—

Stands up. Fires at where he suspects the head would be.

The average reaction time for humans is 0.25 seconds to a visual stimulus, 0.17 seconds for an audio stimulus, and 0.15 seconds for a touch stimulus. But in the war, fighting against a ByProduct, that means shit.

Seungyoon wastes no time to kick the door open, hitting the person behind the door. His eyes quickly scan the corridor. One dead, one temporarily immobilizes on the floor, two on the right and three on his left.

Most are in a stupor. Seungyoon spreads his arms eagle, a smirk splitting his face into half, and everything seems to move in a slow motion. Then fires at the same time. Two deaths in 3 seconds.

The person on the floor aims his rifle at Seungyoon, but he's quicker to kick the rifle high in the air, shoots him dead, tucks his own guns into the holsters, catches the rifle again, only just to surge forward on the right side.

The guy has his eyes wide seeing Seungyoon sprinting towards him, hands raising to aim—

A fist. A fist is flying at his face. Seungyoon has just enough time to catch it in his hand. But before he can make the shape of the blurry face, Seungyoon feels an imminent danger.

Like a blade. Seungyoon dives down. Feels it miss him by a hair's breadth. And rolls away. Once he regains his balance, on his feet, Seungyoon is stopped by the feeling of the blade pressed against his throat, his left wrist caught in a firm hold, while the other is being held by a foot—

Fuck, he's going to die here today. This is how he's going to die, die, die—

"—yoon!" Followed by a firm slap on his face.

Seungyoon blinks. Lifts his eyes. Blinks again when the faces are still blurry. 

"Wake the fuck up, you shit."

Seunghoon-hyung. That's his voice. That—

And he suddenly finds himself in the messy living room. In the safety of their house. Not in that abandoned building, where he was still fighting for survival, betrayed by his own Captain, left to his devices—

"...hyung? Mino?" Seungyoon croaks out, disoriented. Sees Seunghoon hold his wrist down. Sees Mino keep him in place with the blunt side of the blade pressed against his throat. Sees the room in a mess.

"You with us?" Seunghoon asks, his hold loosening. On guard and concerned.

"Yea—yea, I think so. Fuck, what happened?" Seungyoon notices Mino rushing away once he gives his affirmation. Odd. He usually stays to check on him.

"Night terrors, probably, I don't know. You suddenly lashed out in your sleep." Seunghoon pulls him to his feet. 

"Sorry about that. Is everyone okay—"

And Seungyoon understands. Gets it why Mino left so quickly. Because behind the couch, Mino is tending to Jinu.

Jinu who seems to be shaken by the whole thing. Jinu who has his forehead bleeding. Jinu who accepts him as who he is, and fuck, he fucking hurt Jinu. Made him bleed—

Seungyoon's heart drops to his stomach. A voice shrieks inside his head. Pierces through his rational thought.

Jinu notices him. Looks up, with a shaky smile. The one that masks his pain. The one that serves to soothe Seungyoon. 

"Let's get you a pair of handcuffs next time, okay, baby?"

Seungyoon flees. 

  
  


...

  
  


The night is cold. His thin shirt does nothing to ward off the coldness. Seungyoon keeps himself huddled on the rooftop, watching as the artificial lights glitter along the streets.

Those vicious voices are loud in his ears. And nothing can drown them out.

'Killer.'

'Selfish.'

'You destroyed everything—us, the team—'

'I WANTED TO LIVE TOO!!!'

"Geez," a voice comes from behind, "Can you, at least, pick a warm place?"

It's Seunghoon-hyung. Seungyoon can recognize that voice anywhere. He keeps his eyes ahead at the streets. Tries his best to tune those voices out.

"Come." Seunghoon sounds closer. Then a hand lands on Seungyoon's shoulder. "Let's go back. Mino and Jinu-hyung are worried sick about you."

Worry, not anger. Seungyoon scrunches himself smaller, overwhelmed at the thought of Jinu-hyung worrying about him even after he hurt him.

"Hey, hey—" Seunghoon senses his misery. He pulls Seungyoon into his arms. "Come on, don't do that to yourself. Not your fault. You didn't do it intentionally. Shit happened. Come on, Seungyoon."

"I hurt him. I—" Seungyoon smothers his sobs in Seunghoon's collarbone. His hands are shaking. Terrified at the thought of Jinu staring lifelessly at him. "He could've died. I could've killed him. Jinu-hyung—he's not like us—I could've—"

"You know I wouldn't let you. You know Mino would stop you either. We wouldn't let it happen."

"He bled—"

"Mino and I were careless. Won't happen again."

"I did that to him. I hurt him—it was my fault—I let it—that dream, in that fucking building, it came back and I just—"

The voices scream in his mind. Loud. Ringing. Accusing. Mercilessly. Seungyoon wants to scream back to drown them out.

"Hey, hey—listen to me, you shit." Seunghoon grabs his face. Hands over Seungyoon's ears. Firm. Stares into his eyes. "We all have a shitty history. And from time to time it bites us in the ass. That sucks. That fucking sucks."

Seungyoon sniffles, eyes teary, but doesn't interrupt. The voices are loud, but Seunghoon demands his attention. He forces himself to focus on him. 

"But we make do. We all make do. If you can't handle that alone, you have me. If I'm not available, you have Mino. If Mino can't do it too, we all deal that shit together. That sucks, but at least we have each other."

Seungyoon looks down at his feet. Feels tears drip down his short lashes. Overwhelmed. Hurt. Touched.

"I never said you can look away, you fucking shit," Seunghoon says, so Seungyoon turns back to him. Instead of anger, fondness takes over Seunghoon's face, his gaze unusually soft.

Seungyoon doesn't know what to do with his warm chest.

"You gave me purpose when I had no where to go. You stayed with Mino when he just lost his voice. You were the reason we met Jinu-hyung. So if you think—think that we're gonna be disappointed in you just because you lash out in your sleep then—" 

A heavy sigh leaves Seunghoon. As if it’s wrenched from his soul, and makes Seungyoon's insides twist. Seunghoon pulls him close, his cheek on the side of Seungyoon's head. 

"Give us some credit, you shit."

"...sorry." Seungyoon hides his face in Seunghoon's neck. Sinks into Seunghoon's safety. Counts the racing pulse to distract himself from those voices. Feels Seunghoon's chest rise and fall beneath his palm.

"Not warranted but forgiven nonetheless."

His eyes feel hot. Seungyoon closes them, unable to contain his tears. "...thank you, hyung. Thank you."

For a long while, they simply sit there, holding each other in the cold night. Until Seungyoon calms down. Until he can't listen to those voices anymore.

  
  


...

  
  


"We're back," Seunghoon announces, Seungyoon tailing close.

Jinu is at the door as soon as he hears the voice, concerned eyes on Seungyoon. For some reason, Seungyoon squirms underneath the scrutiny. Even more so when Seunghoon moves away to give room to Jinu. Almost flinches when he sees the bandage around Jinu's forehead.

"You okay?" Jinu is careful when he asks. Seungyoon understands—he did hurt Jinu.

So he nods timidly.

"Can-can I touch you?" Jinu tries.

'Can I touch you,' not 'Is it safe to touch you.' A stupid question but enough to make him realize that Jinu is being considerate of him. Not afraid of him. Overwhelmed, Seungyoon rubs his teary eyes and nods. "Yea—yes."

Instead of touching him, Jinu hugs him. The warm sensation in Seungyoon's constricted chest erupts like a firework, and he holds onto Jinu as much as he can. Tight. Sobbing into Jinu's small shoulder like a kid.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Jinu breathes, "Shit, you're cold as fuck. Let's get inside and warm. Mino is cooking ramyeon."

Touched and very much in love with Jinu again, Seungyoon lets Jinu drag him inside.

Into the place they call home.

  
  


...

  
  


Jinu bans him from working for a week. No job, no clients from the brothel, either. Which means no income for a week.

Seungyoon doesn't mind, happy to spend his healing time with his beloved ones.

  
  


...

  
  


"Why are we doing this?"

Mino turns around to sign, with a look, 'Because you're still in the restriction week. And Jinu-hyung told me to get you out since you complained you're getting bored.'

Sure, he understands that he's still not allowed to take jobs, but this—damn, he surely didn't sign up for this. 

"But, fuck," Seungyoon huffs as he carries a boxful of Mino's paint sprays up the stairs. "I never imagined it would be this!"

'I have a commission, and I'm stuck to babysit you,' Mino signs, with an eye-roll, 'So suck it up and carry that shit. It's not even heavy.'

"Fuck you!"

Not for long, they arrive at their intended destination. The city hall—or a building that resembles a city hall. Looks no different from the rest, honestly. Mino leads him to a small park not far from the building.

"Here?" Seungyoon squints at the storage building.

Mino nods, dumping his bag on the ground. He raids through it and produces two full-face masks. He pitches one of them to Seungyoon.

"Me too?" Seungyoon stares.

Mino ducks his head affirmative.

"I could ruin it."

'I'll fix it,' Mino signs, then takes the design paper he prepared prior. Presents it up against the wall as the reference.

That, right, Seunghoon always reminds him of the same thing. That he is allowed to make mistakes too. That they will always pick him up if he slips. Seungyoon bites his bottom lip. Sniffles once. Rubs his eye. And wears the mask.

He takes the blue can.

  
  


...

  
  


No, Mino doesn't actually cover all mistakes he made. Some of them Mino turns a blind eye. 

Like that blue flower, tucked in the corner. It's ugly as fuck among the beautiful pink flowers Mino drew. Out of place. Uneven. Weird lighting. Stands out like a sore thumb.

But Mino leaves it as it is. As if telling the world, 'hey, Kang Seungyoon is here making arts too,' and damn, fuck the world and the prying eyes. Seungyoon has all the right to kiss Mino senseless, to announce to the world, yes, he loves Song Minho so much.

Loves, loves until his chest is brimming with happiness.

  
  


...

  
  


One evening finds Seungyoon rushing home after dropping by Lee's place. He flings Mino's studio open, starling Mino inside. He's lucky no weapon lying close around, or he would've found himself dead.

"Where is it?" Seungyoon asks, crossing the room in a few long strides.

Mino blinks, confused.

"The letter from the Guild. From the last meeting that I couldn't attend. Chanhyuk said Jiyong-nim sent me a letter," Seungyoon insists.

A letter from the leader of the Guild himself. And he had no idea of the existence of that letter until today. Fuck, fuck, that's like ignoring a direct order from the higher-up.

Mino stares, then snaps out of it when realization dawns on him. He digs in one of the drawers and fishes a letter out. Seungyoon quickly snatches it from his hold.

The letter is sealed in wax, emblazoned with a golden dragon stamp, the gaudily entwined initials, K and J. Fuck, Seungyoon wants to bump his head against something.

Carefully, he opens the letter. It's folded neatly, so Seungyoon returns the gesture by cautiously smoothening the wrinkles. 

And reads the letter.

Oh. Seungyoon feels his blood veins frozen up. Cold. Memories from the past, before the war, come flooding in. The facility, the torture, the pain. The voices inside his head scream, so loud his ears ring and.

And Seungyoon makes himself numb. A defensive mechanism. Created from his trauma.

'What.' Mino signs.

"It says Mother Goose," Seungyoon says, void of emotions,"—she's in town."


End file.
